Matthew's Voyage

by LYNDA A on 2010-09-16
Matthew’s Voyage is Shannon Van Roekel’s first book for the middle grades but I hope it will not be her last. In this amazing story, Van Roekel takes her readers on an incredible journey between two worlds. Worlds separated in time and space, yet connected through real human experience and faith. Matthew, a young middle school student, is lost in a world he doesn’t like. He doesn’t understand his reoccurring dreams about his father; a father who’s passing preempted the move to a new town and a new school. Having lost so much in such a short amount of time, Matthew doesn’t want to make new friends nor does he want to connect in any way to anyone. He just wants things to be the way they were before- before his father died. After receiving a history assignment at school, Matthew’s dreams begin to change. No longer are his dreams about his father. Instead, he begins an amazing journey aboard John Cabot’s ship, curiously named Matthew. It is aboard this ship that Matthew meets Thomas, a wise Christian man that shares his life and his faith. As an experienced public school teacher, a mother and a veteran homeschooler, I highly recommend this book to any parent, grandparent or teacher looking for good children’s literature with a Christian message. Your children will love the story and you’ll love the message.